Tm2O3 doped borosilicate glasses for optical and medical applications: optical characterization and γ-ray/neutron attenuation competence
摘要
Thulium (III) lithium barium borosilicate glasses written as (60–X)B2O3/10SiO2/20BaF2/10Li2O/XTm2O3: X ranging from 0.0 (Tm-0.0) to 2.0 (Tm-2.0) mol% were prepared by the melt-quenching technique. The physical, optical properties and neutron/γ-ray absorption characteristics were examined. The density (ρ) of glasses increased from 2.75 to 2.97 g/cm3. The molar volume (Vm) slightly declined from 31.27 to 31.04 cm3/mol as Tm2O3 increased from 0.0 to 2.0 mol% in the glass networks. The absorption spectra included some peaks attributed to the characteristic transitions of Tm3+ ions from the ground state 3H6 energy level to the 1D2, 1G4, 3F3, and 3H4 excited states. The direct optical gap (